This 4,100 square foot residence was completed in 2008. Natural conditions drove the forms of this rural house on a windy hillside. Capturing the warmth of the sun is particularly important in a house used primarily in the winter, but it is challenging when the views are in every other direction, most spectacularly to the west, from which direction a brutal wind blows all winter.
Three barn forms are connected to each other with simple sheds, forming a south-facing courtyard that shelters the entry. A second courtyard faces west, with a south-facing “sun-catcher” porch opening onto it. Three large sliding barn doors can close off the west wind, without blocking the sunlight.